Lester the Matchmaker
by RangerLuv2
Summary: Lester is tired of Ranger and Stephanie avoiding the relationship everyone else knows they want. He's also tired of Ranger's bad mood because of it, so he takes matters into his own hands to get them together. Babe story.
1. Chapter 1

**Not mine. Characters belong to J.E. I'm not making any money off them.**

**Lester the Matchmaker**

**Steph's POV**

After showering and getting dressed, I made my way to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. I tapped on Rex's cage and asked if he wanted a grape. He backed out of his soup can and his whiskers were twitching like crazy. I took this to mean he thinks grapes are the caviar of the hamster food pyramid and dropped the grape into his small silver bowl. I smiled as he latched onto it and scurried back into his can. "Hey, are you going to thank me or at least ask how things went last night?"

Silence.

"Alrighty then, I'll tell you anyway since I think you're just hiding your curiosity, but first let me get coffee."

I filled a mug with hot Dunkin' Donuts hazelnut coffee, added sugar and milk, then went back to lean against the counter by Rex's cage. "So, I went over to Joe's house last night, thinking I would surprise him. He's always complaining that he has to track me down in order to get to see me."

I took a sip of my delicious coffee and continued. "Anyway, when I got there, I could see through the window that the light was on in the living room and I could hear the TV, but Joe didn't answer when I knocked, so I let myself in. To make a long story short, I found Joe upstairs, pumping his cockus erectus in and out of Terry Gilman's un-safe deposit box."

Rex backed out of his can again and looked up at me, his dark eyes hard and unforgiving. Either he was royally pissed off or hopelessly confused by my choice of euphemisms. I wasn't sure how much Rex's tiny little ears and delicate sensibilities could handle so I tried to clean the story up a bit.

"I know, Rex. I agree. I'll never forgive him either. I guess you're wondering why I'm not crying or upset? Why I'm not stuffing my face with Tastykakes, donuts or Ben & Jerry's, right?"

I drained my coffee cup and put it in the sink. "I don't know the answer to that, Rex. Well, I sort of do. Anyway, I was shocked, of course, but I never got upset or all jacked out of shape. I didn't go into rhino mode or cry. My first thought when Joe jumped up and I saw he wasn't wearing a condom was that they deserved each other. They were two consenting adults, right? Terry was just swapping a batch of her herpes for a dose of Joe's warts. Who was I to stop them?"

I unplugged my cell phone from its charger and dropped it into my purse. "I'm telling you Rex, I feel so relieved, so free this morning. Like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders. Suddenly it was so clear to me that Joe and I weren't meant to be together. I mean, if I couldn't even dredge up any hurt feelings over him cheating, I think that's all I need to know."

Rex wiggled his whiskers in agreement. He never did like Joe anyway.

"I'll tell you something else, Rex. It has also never been clearer to me that I'm in love with Ranger. I know he holds himself back from starting a relationship with me, but I'm convinced it's not because he doesn't want one. If he gives me one little sign that he wants me in his life, I'm going to go for it, Rex. I'm going to put my fears aside and take a leap of faith."

**Ranger's POV**

I'm sitting at my desk on the fifth floor of the RangeMan building, sorting mail. When I finish that, I'll start on the new contracts. I can see at least six of them in my in-box. I need to get them out of the way because I'm leaving for the Boston office this afternoon for a one day employee review and ass kicking, uh, I mean pep talk. I'll be back tomorrow night.

I'm in a pretty good mood even though I have a huge pile of work that needs to be done. An interesting thing happened last night. I was missing my Babe and kind of wandering around dejectedly in my apartment. I know it's my own fault I don't have her with me. Every time we start to get too close, I say something stupid to put more distance between us. I know it's a shitty thing to do, but I can't seem to help myself where she's concerned.

There's no question in my mind that I love her more than I've ever loved anyone, but I don't know what to do with those feelings. I've always told her my life is too dangerous for me to have a relationship. Over the years, I've slowly changed my mind about that. The truth is, she would no doubt be safer living with me in this building or in one of my secured houses than she is living in her shitty apartment with no one there to protect her.

Anyway, back to last night. I was thinking a lot about my Babe and wandered into the office in my penthouse. I opened my laptop to check her tracker. I don't do that very often. Usually I just depend on the guys in the control room to keep an eye on it and alert me if her car goes off the grid. Last night, I had a little voice telling me to check it, so I did. I blew out a long sigh when I saw her car was parked in Morelli's driveway. Shit, how I hated to think of them together. I want her to be mine. I want her in _my_ home, _my_ arms, _my_ bed. And yet I continue to fight it.

My cell phone rang while the tracker program was still open and by the time I hung up with Tank and looked back at my laptop, her tracker had moved. I watched as it traveled across town and stopped at her apartment building. I figured they must have gotten into another fight and as much as I didn't like the thought of my Babe being upset and hurt, I was glad to know she wasn't in his bed.

I went to bed last night wondering if I would ever have the guts to tell her how I feel. Ever have the nerve to let her into my life. Let her know me. Not just bits and pieces at a time like I've been doing over the past several years. I want ... no, I _need_, to let her know the real me, but it seems so risky. I've never shared my life with a woman. Never been in love before. Never wanted to be tied down to one person. Until now.

She thinks I'm Batman and I know she loves Batman, but would she love Carlos? She loves Ranger too, but would she love Colonel Manoso, hired killer of the U.S. government? Could she love a man who accepts a million dollars or more to sneak into another country and take a life, just because a nameless, faceless person in Washington D.C. determines the person to be a threat to national security? Maybe, maybe not.

Of course I couldn't tell her about those things anyway. They were top secret. I think that's part of the problem. I can't tell her about the man she'd actually be getting involved with so it feels like I would be deceiving her. Letting her think she was getting one thing when she was actually getting something very different.

I finished up with the mail and by lunch time I had gone through all the contracts. I turned on my computer to send out some emails. There were things I wanted taken care of while I was gone, but nothing that warranted calling a meeting.

I tried to get into the email program, but nothing happened. I called Tank.

"Yo, what's up Ranger?"

"Tank, is the email program down?"

"Yeah, I was just going to call you about that. I would have emailed you, but ... ha! The email is down."

"Very funny," I said, disconnecting the call.

I grabbed a tablet to write a few notes.

_Hector,_

_I want you to test out the new security cameras as soon as they come in. We have three clients already interested._

_Ranger_

_Lester,_

_I need you to get the Vandervine search results from Rodriguez as soon as he prints them and put together a plan for a take-down. He's worth 50 Gs. Let's not waste any time on this one._

_Ranger_

_Tank,_

_Get someone to fix the fucking email system._

_Ranger._

I dropped off the notes to each person on my way out of the building for lunch. By the time I got back, Ella would have my bag packed and it would be time for Tank to drive me to the airstrip.

I drove past the bonds office, hoping to see Steph's car, but it wasn't there and I felt pretty bummed about that. I wouldn't get to see her before I left for Boston, but I'd only be gone one day.

As I ate my lunch at the diner where I first met her, I made a decision. I decided if she ever comes to me and tells me how she feels, I'll let her into my life. I won't make the first move and I won't ask her to choose between me and Morelli, but if she comes to me and indicates she wants to be with me, I'm going to make her mine and never let her go.

**Lester's POV**

Ranger walked past my desk on his way out of the building and dropped a note on it. I wasn't actually at my desk when he did it. I was in the control room chatting with Ram and saw him on the monitors.

After he left the building, I wandered back over to my desk to read the note. He wanted me to get a quick start on putting together a plan to pick up a high bond skip. Three weeks ago, I broke my wrist taking down a skip outside a bar. I so badly wanted to be in on the take-down of this new guy, Vandervine, but with my wrist in a cast, I wouldn't be allowed to do anything but the planning.

When Ranger came back from lunch, he stalked through the control room and then down the hall like he was looking for someone to yell at. Lately, he was always either in a pissy mood or a contemplative mood that bordered on sadness. I hated dealing with both those sides of his personality.

My office door was open and I saw Tank walk past so I called his name and told him to come in and shut the door.

Tank lowered himself into my guest chair and placed one beefy hand on each of his knees. "'Sup, Santos?"

"Nothing. I was just wondering what the hell is wrong with Ranger? Not that he's ever been a jokester, but he's never in a decent mood these days. The man needs to get laid."

Tank barked out a laugh. "Not going to happen unless he and Steph miraculously get together or he miraculously gets over her."

I shook my head in disgust. "What the hell is wrong with the two of them?"

Tank shrugged his broad shoulders. "They both have a ten foot wall around their heart and neither of them is willing to be the first to let the other in. They're chicken shits. Scared of relationships. Afraid of getting their heart broken."

"Okay, okay, Dr. Phil. Enough with the analysis." I looked down at my desk and bit my bottom lip, thinking about what Tank said. Suddenly I knew what I needed to do. The answer was right in front of me.

"What time are you taking Ranger to the airstrip?"

Tank looked at his watch. "We're leaving in about fifteen minutes, why?"

"None of your business. Just get out of here. I have things to do."

"Sheesh!" Tank said, rising from the chair and heading for the door. "And you think Ranger is testy?"

I didn't bother to answer. I was looking through my desk drawer for an envelope that didn't have the RangeMan logo on it.

I found a greeting card and matching red envelope I purchased a while back and never used. Perfect. I threw the card back in the drawer and took the envelope with me.

I walked down the hall to Ranger's office and knocked.

"Enter," Ranger growled.

I walked in and said, "I need a favor. Can you address this envelope to Steph for me?"

Ranger took the envelope I was holding and pierced me with his dark eyes. "Why are you writing to Stephanie? Can't you just call her?"

I shrugged. "Seems like she's been a little down lately. I'm just going to send her a funny card in the mail to cheer her up, but I can't write out the envelope because of my wrist."

"Fine." Ranger picked up his pen and addressed the envelope to Stephanie in his neat handwriting. He moved his hand to the upper left corner of the envelope, but I stopped him before he could write my name there.

"No!"

Ranger jerked his head up. "You don't want your name and address on it?"

"No, you can put RangeMan's address, but I don't want her to know who it's from before she opens it."

"Whatever," Ranger replied. He wrote the RangeMan address in the upper left and handed the envelope back to me without looking up.

"Thanks," I told him on my way out the door. "Have a safe trip to Boston."

"Right," Ranger replied, not really listening.

I went back to my office and scrambled the camera in the corner near the ceiling. I picked up the note Ranger had left on my desk earlier.

_Lester,_

_I need you to get the Vandervine search results from Rodriguez as soon as he prints them and put together a plan for a take-down. He's worth 50 Gs. Let's not waste any time on this one._

_Ranger_

I took a pair of scissors and cut off the part that said, _I need you, _and slipped it into the envelope. I knew Stephanie would recognize Ranger's handwriting, she commented on it before, saying it was unfair that his handwriting was so perfect. I was betting she'd be shocked to receive this little note from Ranger, but she probably wouldn't be surprised at all that it was only three words. Three words was more than he said on most occasions.

I licked the envelope shut and stuck a stamp on it. I'd take it to the post office as soon as Ranger and Tank left the building. Since it wasn't leaving town, it should get delivered to Stephanie sometime tomorrow.

I heard Ranger's voice in the hallway speaking to Tank and quickly shoved the envelope and remaining part of the note in my desk drawer.

Forty minutes later I dropped it off at the post office. Now I would just keep my fingers crossed and hope that my plan worked.


	2. Chapter 2

**Lester the Matchmaker**

**Chapter 2 - Lester's POV**

The next morning, after my morning work-out, I drove over to Stephanie's apartment building and parked out of sight, waiting for her to leave for the day. She's not an early riser, but by 8:30 a.m., I saw her walk out of the building and climb into her car. I knew she'd head to the Tasty Pastry and then to the bonds office to see if Connie had any skips for her.

Once her car was out of sight, I picked her thirty-nine cent lock and let myself in. In her bedroom, I easily found the bottle of her favorite perfume on her dresser. I took the empty little vial from my pocket and sprayed a good amount of the perfume into the vial and secured the plug. Then I made sure I left everything exactly the way I found it.

I washed my hands really well in her bathroom to make sure I got the smell of her perfume off my hands, then stopped in the kitchen on my way out and said a quick hello and good-bye to Rex.

The guys back at Rangeman have a skip to pick up tonight so I'm pretty sure Tank is going to ask me to pick up Ranger at the airstrip. I'm going to happily accept. If it looks like he's going to ask someone else, I'll volunteer, but I really want it to be his idea.

Back at Rangeman, I put the little vial of perfume in my desk drawer so it wouldn't accidentally get broken before I need it. I spent two hours doing searches and another two hours on the monitors. Finally, it was lunch time so I went to the break room and grabbed a turkey sandwich, muffin and a bottle of water and took them to my office. I was part way through my sandwich when Tank showed up at my door. I waved him in and he took a seat.

"What's happenin', Tank?"

"Just slumming," he joked.

I gave him a small smile. "Gosh, Tank, you get funnier every decade."

"Whatever. Hey, listen, can you pick Ranger up tonight at the airstrip? I'm going with Ram, Cal and Hector on a take-down, but we're not sure exactly what time the asshole is going to show up tonight."

"By asshole, are you talking about the skip or Ranger?"

Tank narrowed his eyes, but not before I saw him school his face to keep from laughing. "The skip."

"No problem," I told him. "What time is Ranger's flight arriving?"

"Around 9 p.m."

"I've got it covered. Anything else?"

"Yeah," Tank said, turning his head to the left and then right. "Has Stephanie been here today? I swear I smell her perfume."

"Must be wishful thinking," I told him. "I haven't seen Beautiful since Monday."

"Hunh." Tank rose from his chair. "Okay, catch you later man. I'm going to get some lunch, then meet with the take-down team."

XXX

**Ranger's POV**

The reviews and the pep talk in Boston went well. Better than I expected, actually. The guys were all receptive to my suggestions on some improvements I wanted made and I talked to them about ways to successfully increase their apprehension rate, which was good, but lagging a bit behind Miami, Atlanta and Trenton.

All the Boston guys are gathered in the large conference room now, partaking of refreshments. It's a new thing we just started for review day. Reviews are a bit stressful for everyone, so Bobby made the suggestion that I stay for awhile and spend some time bonding with the men in a relaxing atmosphere before heading back to Trenton. Wives and girlfriends are invited. Boston is the first location to have this little event and it was going well.

I was surprised to see how many of the men had either a wife or girlfriend. It looked like almost all of them. I stood next to the core team and watched the interaction, sipping on a glass of apple cider. I was a little disheartened when I recognized I was a bit jealous. They all seemed happy to be paired up. I saw hand holding, a kiss here and there. A gentle hug here, a whisper followed by a knowing smile there. It was heartwarming.

My thoughts turned to Stephanie, of course. I started to wonder to myself why everyone else in the world seemed to be able to let a special person into their life, except me. I wasn't the only person in the world with a dangerous job, that's for sure. Steph already fits in with my men. Well, at least the ones who have met her. I'm sure she would fit in at any of the RangeMan locations. If I had played my cards differently, I may not be standing here alone, watching all my men smile at their significant others.

I thought about what it would be like to have someone to go home to each night. Not just someone, a smart, sexy, blue-eyed, whirlwind of a woman. The only woman in my life who made my heart and mind as happy as she made my dick. Something to think about.

My thoughts were interrupted when Juan spoke to me. "You ready to head to the airport, Ranger?"

Yes. I certainly was. I know I promised myself I wouldn't make a move on Stephanie and that I'd wait for her to come to me, but that didn't mean I couldn't give her a little encouragement followed up with positive reenforcement, right? "Yes, my bag is by the elevator, let's go," I told Juan.

**Stephanie's POV**

It was a long day and I was tired. Lula and I brought in three skips, but it took us all day. Still, it turned out to be a nice payday and I didn't get covered in anything yuckie. I went straight from dropping Lula off at her Firebird to my parents' house for dinner. I'd promised my mom earlier in the week and I didn't want to hear the nagging that would undoubtedly begin if I backed out.

Dinner went smoothly. It suddenly occurred to me that my mother must not know I broke up with Joe. How could she? This time, we didn't break up in a public place and there was no loud fight in his house or driveway. The only ones who knew what happened besides me were Joe and Terry and they weren't likely to feed the Burg grapevine their own dirty laundry.

I really wanted to go home so I could shower and go to bed, but I let Grandma Mazur talk me into driving her to a viewing. It was either that or she was going to try to roller skate all the way there and back. I figured I'd better do what I could to keep her from breaking an ankle or hip, so I agreed.

It was 8:30 by the time I dropped Grandma back at home and 8:40 by the time I pulled into my apartment complex. I don't check my mail very often when I'm behind on my bills. I mean, why do that to myself? I'm caught up on everything right now, though, so I stopped at the little box and opened it with my key. I grabbed the mail and stuffed it into my bag, then took the elevator to the second floor.

I greeted Rex first thing when I got into my apartment. I dumped the mail out onto the counter, then filled Rex's dish with hamster crunchies and gave him a couple raisins.

I sorted through the mail, tossing the advertisements into the trash except for the ad from Macy's. Sweet, it had a ten percent off coupon printed on the back.

My heart skipped a beat when I came across a red envelope. It was from Ranger. It didn't say it was from Ranger, but it had RangeMan's return address and was written in Ranger's elegant handwriting. The envelope felt very light as though he'd forgotten to put the card or letter inside.

I carefully tore it open and at first I thought it was empty. Then I pulled the edges apart and peered inside and saw a small piece of paper. My heart skipped another beat or four or five when I read it. There were only three words: _I need you_.

Ranger needed me? What? Batman needed me? No way. Neither of them needed anyone, did they? I looked up from the note and caught Rex's eye. "You think it could be from Carlos instead of Ranger or Batman?"

Rex looked at me like I was loony for talking about a person as though he were three different people, but I knew what I meant.

I grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and carried it to the couch with the note. I read it seventeen more times. Good thing it was a short note.

What could I possibly have that Ranger could need? He has everything he needs and wants and there's hardly anything he couldn't afford if he wanted it.

If he needed me for a distraction, he'd stop by. If he needed someone to do searches at the office, he'd just call. If he needed … wait … he said he needs _me_, not that he needs me to do something for him.

My brain went into overdrive. Could this really be his way of telling me that he needs me in his life? Maybe. I mean, it makes sense. It's as hard for him to talk about his feelings as it is for me. And three words was not exactly a short sentence for Ranger. He communicates with me mostly through his eyes, his lips and the word Babe with various speech inflections. He lets me know how he feels by protecting me, giving me cars, letting me work when I need money, making out with me in the alley by the bonds office, and feeding me Ella's chocolate cake when I've had a bad day.

My thoughts went back to the day before when I told myself if he gave me any kind of hint that he wanted me in his life, I'd take him up on it. That I'd bite the bullet, take a leap of faith and go for it. Now that the moment had arrived, I was scared shitless. I couldn't read the note any longer because my hands were shaking. My stomach was quivering, a little from fear and a lot from excitement.

Part of me realizes that I've been in love with Ranger for a long time. For years I was afraid to admit it. It hurts to love someone and not have them love you in return so I did everything I could not to think too much about it. I even kept going back to Joe. At least with Joe, I knew where I stood. But now, Joe is history. I'll never forgive him for cheating with Terry. It's probably not the first time he's cheated, but now that I've caught him outright, I'll never go back to him.

So, that leaves my heart and future open for Ranger, and this note could mean he wants me in his life as much as I want him. Am I going to go for it? Do I have the guts to try? This note is practically an engraved invitation. I'd be crazy to pass up this opportunity to be with him. He's perfect in almost every way.

Kind, generous, brave, adventurous, heroic, gentle (with me, anyway), a great kisser and amazing in bed. He doesn't care that I don't cook or clean. He loves my crazy hair and my blue eyes. He thinks I'm sexy and gorgeous. Holy shit! I'd be a fool not to take this chance.

It may have been a long day, but suddenly I have an abundance of energy. I know he was in Boston today, but when I saw Vince at the bonds office earlier, he said Ranger would be back tonight. I headed for the shower. I was going to get myself all fabulous looking and go claim my man.

**Ranger's POV**

Tank called and told me he was going to send Lester to pick me up at the airstrip. Normally, I never let any of the men drive my Porsche, but I'd lost a hand of poker to Lester recently and the bet was that I would let him drive the Porsche, but just one time. I told Tank to tell him that he could drive the Porsche to pick me up.

Lester was waiting for me when we landed and I tossed my overnight bag in the back and climbed into the passenger seat. The first thing I noticed was the smell of my Babe's perfume.

"Was Stephanie in the car today?" I asked Lester.

"Hello to you too, Rangeman. No, I believe Steph and Lula were out picking up skips all day. No one was in this car until I got in it to come pick you up. Why?"

"No reason," I lied. I wasn't about to tell Lester I could smell Stephanie's perfume even when she wasn't around.

I buckled my seatbelt and Lester took off, heading for the Interstate. I turned my head from side to side. The scent was really strong. How weird. It couldn't still be lingering from the last time she was in the car. That was probably close to three weeks ago and the car had been detailed since then.

"You okay, boss?" Lester asked.

I glanced over at my cousin. "Yes. I guess I just … "

"You what?"

"Nothing. Any word from Tank on the take-down tonight?"

"Not yet."

"Did you get the search results for Vandervine and start on a take-down plan?"

"Yep. He's a regular at The Freeze Club. Goes every Friday night and most Wednesday nights. I made a couple calls. He drinks three beers with three shots of Southern Comfort, then leaves by himself. We won't even need Beautiful for a distraction."

"Good. I'd like to see her get out of the distraction business. Speaking of Stephanie, are you sure she wasn't in the car today?" I asked as I leaned forward and reached under the edge of the seat, then felt around the side between the seat and the door. There had to be something in this car with Stephanie's perfume on it.

"I was in the office all day, I'm pretty sure I would have known it if Steph stopped by and took the keys to the Porsche."

I finally sat up and leaned my head against the headrest, closing my eyes.

The smell of Stephanie's perfume is making me fantasize about her. Not that I don't fantasize about her at other times, but there was something intoxicating about being able to smell her perfume this strongly and yet not have her within reach. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and tried not to think about the hard-on pressing against my zipper. I really needed to adjust my pants, but Lester was just a couple feet away from me. Damn.

I was so relieved and happy when we finally pulled into the RangeMan garage. As soon as Lester turned off the car and handed me the key, I grabbed my bag from the back and headed for the elevator. As soon as I stepped in and the doors started to close, I got another whiff of Stephani's perfume. When I got off on the fifth floor, I walked over the Hal in the control room. "Hal, do you know if Stephanie was here at all today?"

"No, I don't think so," he said. "Unless it was this morning, but I think one of the guys would have mentioned it if she stopped by."

"Right. Thanks," I said as I turned and headed to my office. I unlocked the door and walked in and holy hell if it didn't hit me again. I was either going crazy or I was definitely smelling Stephanie's perfume in my office. I shook my head, adjusted my pants and decided to call it a night. I walked right back out, locked my office door and headed up to the seventh floor in the Stephanie scented elevator. God, I loved that scent. I was going to have to take a cold shower or ... or something, when I got to my bathroom.

I felt a familiar tingle when I reached the door of my penthouse. I smiled, knowing it meant my Babe was waiting for me inside. I wondered how long she'd been there and how she got past Hal without him knowing. I'd have to check on that tomorrow. I hoped everything was okay. I feel at a loss when she's upset and it breaks my heart when she cries.

I couldn't have been more surprised when I opened the door. The lights were out, but there were lit candles everywhere. My Babe was sitting on the couch in a very short, low cut, little black dress. She was wearing black FMP's, but her legs were crossed and one shoe was dangling from her toes. I hadn't touched her in over a week and yet I was experiencing my second hard-on of the night.

Her soft curls and big blue eyes looked ultra sexy in the candle light. I set down my overnight bag, dropped the keys in the dish by the door and walked straight toward her. "Babe, you look beautiful."

She smiled coyly and patted the spot next to her on the couch. She didn't have to ask twice. I sat down next to her and pulled her onto my lap. "I can't tell you how good it is to see you, Babe. Is everything okay?"

She snuggled close to me and pressed her face to my neck, softly kissing the skin below my ear. A shiver ran through me and I lifted her face so I could kiss her mouth. She didn't answer me, but apparently everything was okay because she was kissing me senseless and several soft moans escaped her sweet mouth as her tongue battled with mine.

As good as it felt, I needed to know why she was here and what this was all about. Reluctantly, I pulled back a little and softly caressed her face. "Babe, why are you here?"

She let out a soft laugh. "Well, if you can't tell why I'm here, I must be doing something wrong."

I chucked and rested my forehead against hers. "Babe, I got that message loud and clear, but I'm surprised to see you here. I have to tell you, if you're just on another break with Morelli, this isn't going to work."

"Morelli and I are finished for good," she huffed. I caught him in bed with Terry Gilman and as far as I'm concerned, they can have each other. I'm done and I'm not even upset about it."

She paused, then put her hand on my face. "Ranger, I know things like feelings are as hard for you to discuss as they are for me, but I think we both know what we want. I think I need you every bit as much as you need me, emotionally. If you're willing, I think we should try being together."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Who was this woman and what had she done with my Babe? She sounded confident, but there was an underlying quiver in her voice. I knew this was really hard for her. She lives in denial land and doesn't do feelings. "Babe, are you sure?"

She flashed me a brilliant smile and nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. You took the first step and that made it easy … well, easier - for me to admit how I feel. I love you, Ranger."

Wait. What was she talking about? I took what first step? "Babe, what … " I let my voice trail off. She was offering herself to me and I couldn't be happier. I didn't want to say the wrong thing.

"Babe what?" she asked, brushing her lips across mine.

"Uh, Babe … what kind of wine would you like? I was just going to pour myself a glass."

"I'll have whatever you're having," she told me. "I'm going to go freshen up a bit while you pour it."

Steph headed for the bathroom and I quickly made my way to the wine rack in the kitchen. I flipped on the light and Steph's purse was sitting on the counter. I saw the red envelope that I'd addressed for Lester sticking out of the top. Suddenly, I knew he was behind this. Normally, I would never, ever snoop in my Babe's purse, but something was going on here and our future together was at stake. I quickly pulled out the envelope and found the note inside.

Fucking Lester! I was going to kill him! He made my Babe think I wrote a note to her telling her I needed her. Holy shit, he way overstepped the line this time.

I quickly stuck the envelope back in Steph's purse and grabbed a bottle of wine, filling two glasses.

Steph was just coming back into the room when I reached the couch with our wine.

I handed her a glass once she was seated comfortably again and took a deep breath. "Babe, there's something I need to tell you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Lester the Matchmaker**

_I handed her a glass once she was seated comfortably again and took a deep breath. "Babe, there's something I need to tell you."_

**Chapter 3 _- _Ranger's POV**

Stephanie shifted on the couch and I could tell she thought I was going to say something negative. She always expects the worse. I feel like I need to tell her the truth because I've always tried to be truthful with her, but I need to word it the right way. If I screw this up, she'll bolt on me.

She took a deep breath as though she were steeling herself for bad news. "What is it, Ranger? Just tell me."

I took both her hands in mine and held them gently, but firmly. "Babe ... " And then my phone rang.

Damnit. I let go of her hands and pulled my phone from the clip. The caller I.D. said it was Stella. Stella is a psychic who lives near Stark Street. She's one of my informants. "Babe, I'm sorry, I have to take this. Promise you'll stay right here," I begged, as I headed to the kitchen to take the call.

"Yo. Stella, is everything okay?"

"Ranger. I'm glad I reached you. I just had a vision about your life."

I sighed and stopped myself from rolling my eyes. Part of me believed Stella couldn't see me, even if I did roll my eyes. Another part of me wasn't so sure. "Stella, can you make it quick? This isn't really a good time."

"Certainly, Ranger. My message is simple. This evening you will be presented with two pathways to the future. One will lead to great happiness, the other will lead to grief and loneliness. Choose wisely, my friend." She hung up.

I looked at my phone for a moment then snapped it shut and headed back to the living room. Before I took three steps, it rang again. Fuck!

This time the Caller I.D. said it was Tank. I really needed to answer it. He doesn't usually call unless it's important. There could be an emergency.

"Yo."

"Ranger. You forgot to call me this morning to discuss the Word of the Day."

"Tank, this isn't a good time. Tomorrow we'll do two Words of the Day."

"This will only take a minute," Tank said. "I already looked it up."

I rolled my eyes and formed my thumb and index finger into the shape of a gun and held it to my temple. "Christ, Tank, just spit it out. Hurry."

"Thanks, Ranger. The Word of the Day is _wisdom_."

"Thanks, Tank, I appreciate it," I said, starting to pull the phone from my ear to close it.

"It's a noun," Tank said, apparently under the impression I was even remotely interested.

I put my phone back to my ear. "Right. I know that, Tank. Wisdom is a noun. Good job, Big Guy. I'll talk to you ... "

"The example sentence is, "Wisdom is not just having knowledge, it's knowing when to share that knowledge and when to keep it to yourself."

"Okay, Tank! Can we ... wait, read that sentence again," I demanded.

"Sure. Wisdom is not just having knowledge, it's knowing when to share that knowledge and when to keep it to yourself."

Hunh. "Tank, thank you. That's a good word and sentence. Gotta go, talk to you tomorrow."

"Have a good night, Ranger," he said, ending the conversation.

I closed my phone and it immediately rang again. Shit! After this call, I'm turning it off. I flipped it open without looking at the Caller I.D.

"Yo," I said briskly.

"Ranger, this is Lester." I ... "

"I'll deal with you later, asswipe. Pack a bag." I disconnected, turned off my phone and snapped it shut.

Just as I hurried back into the living room, the apartment phone ring. Jesus! Santos was just begging for an ass whipping.

I gave Steph an apologetic look and grabbed the receiver from the wall phone. "You have a death wish, asshole? You're going to be lucky if I don't kick your ass from here all the way to Guatemala. Now ... what?"

I smacked my hand to my forehead. "Tia Ella, I'm so sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"No, Tia Ella, it really wasn't a nice way to speak to anyone. I'm sorry you had to hear that."

"Uh, I'm not sure. Hopefully. Yes, that will be great. Fine. Yes, all of them. I appreciate it. Have a good night." I hung up the phone and took a deep breath before turning to my Babe.

"You're trying not to laugh," I accused as I walked back over and joined her on the couch.

"You just told Ella you were going to kick her ass," Steph said, choking with laughter.

I had to laugh then too. Christ, what a night. I shook my head. "She'll probably tell my mother," I said, blowing out a sigh.

"Are you afraid of your mother?"

"Maybe." I pulled Steph onto my lap and wrapped my arms around her. "Now, where were we?"

Her smile faded quickly. "You said you had something to tell me," she said softly.

I tilted her head so I could look at her beautiful face. She really was worried about what I was going to say. She was trying to put on a brave front, but I know my Babe. I could see the fear in her oh-so-readable blue eyes and her body was rigid instead of relaxed. She was holding her breath.

"I hugged her a little tighter and lowered my head to whisper near her ear. "Babe, it's nothing bad. Relax." As I waited for her to start breathing and relax against my body, I thought about what Stella and Tank said. Was there really any reason to tell Steph that Lester sent the note? After all, it spoke the truth. I did need her. I needed her more than I've ever needed anyone.

After a few minutes, I felt her body go from rigid to limp. She slid her arms around me and softly sighed. "What is it you wanted to tell me?"

"Steph, what I wanted to tell you was ... uh, well, I love you."

Her head jerked up from my chest. "What?"

I couldn't help but smile at the look on her face. I saw surprise, love, relief, desire. "I love you, Steph. More than anything."

"I love you too, Ranger, but ... was there something else you were going to tell me?"

I thought for a moment and lifted my hand to caress her face. "Yes. I need you. Need you in my life, Babe, for all time."

Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. "This is fun. What else?" she demanded.

I let out a small laugh. "Um, no pressure, but if you stay the night, Ella is making blueberry pancakes in the morning along with a ham and cheese omelet and raspberry crepes with whipped cream." I leaned down and gave her a soft kiss, thinking right about now would be a good time for whipped cream.

Steph kissed me back and reached up to pull the leather tie from my hair. "What else?"

I kissed her again and said, "The Word of the Day is _wisdom._"

"Wisdom," she repeated as she moved around so she was straddling me. Her lips were just a few scant millimeters from mine when she whispered, "Wisdom. Good to know."

"I can't even begin to tell you," I said softly, as my mouth closed over hers.

.

_The End _

Thanks for reading along & for the positive reviews. Hope you enjoyed the story. Time for me to get back to work on my A/U story.

Have a great weekend!

Kristine


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